Loving and Serving the Spirit of Life

As I’ve posted before, loving God is a real problem for many Unitarian Universalists. UU’s claim the authority to recognize truth. Because we are intimately aware of the ways we can deceive ourselves, many of us also have suspicion of that tool of internal guidance. So we look for external evidence on which to validate our sense of what is true.

Mostly due to historical and literary criticism of the Bible over the last several hundred years, most UU’s have lost confidence in the Bible as direct divine revelation. Many of us have confidence that there is great meaning in the Bible but we are wary about taking it literally or as an authority over our lives.

So we put our faith in that which is known through the senses and can be repeatedly demonstrated. The master of this kind of truth discovery of course is the scientific method. Unfortunately, science can do little to help us deal with the universe of non-repeatable phenomena, of which most revelation usually speaks. Which throws us, in the absence of our own verifiable revelation, back on the incarnate teacher who has a direct connection with or experience of what revelation is talking about.

This world and these bodies are what we wake up in recognizing the impermanence of everything around us … including us. As we age (if we have that good fortune not to die young) we recognize sickness and old age cannot be escaped. We yearn to know we are part of something greater than ourselves.

Today, Unitarian Universalists seem to express that yearning best in the language of identification with and service of “the Spirit of Life.”

Now, are God and “the Spirit of Life” the same or different? Is this just a translation thing that expresses UU’s rationalistic hang up? It’s an area of exploration for me. So far Spirit of Life serves as a good alternative to assist members of my congregation on their religious journey of awakening.

What are fundamental components of that journey? They are not components of belief or faith, but rather action. What is working for me as I make the journey I encourage others to make and join me on is, moving through fear, seeking truth, opening the heart, and giving your self away. Courage, wisdom, compassion and devotion are the results all religious traditions are moving their followers towards.